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Tag: Clete Blakeman

Super Bowl 50 referee Clete Blakeman has lead a relatively obscure existence in the NFL, with an occasional reference here, although I’ve even admitted in the past to be “riding high on the Clete Blakeman bandwagon.” The first sign that something was piquing the interest of fans on Sunday was when our post “Who will…

Embed from Getty Images No iconic calls, but Blakeman’s crew handles business The game wasn’t a classic, but it was more competitive than the 24-10 score. While none of the calls from Super Bowl 50 will make our list of best all-time calls, the officiating crew can be satisfied with their efforts. Here is…

It is a simple procedure. The game can’t begin without it. Before any football game starts the referee has to decide who gets the ball first. For generations, that question has been decided by the coin toss. The procedure is the same from pee-wee games to the NFL. First of all, it is important for…

League has several shoes to fill in the offseason The Super Bowl is fast fading into the rear view mirror and we now enter what is called the “dark period” in regard to NFL officiating. According to the collective bargaining agreement between the NFL and the NFL Referees Association, there is to be no formal…

Football Zebras commentary Week 17 is upon us, meaning that the final evaluations for officials vying for playoff positions are being determined. Officials will not be informed of the Wild Card Playoff assignments until the middle of the upcoming week. The later playoff rounds will then be rolled out in the succeeding week or two.…

Player safety must trump exceptions to the rule During the Ravens-Steelers Thanksgiving night football game, the Steelers’ Le’Veon Bell was lunging toward the goal line when he was hit with a devastating blow from the Ravens, knocking his helmet off. Bell maintained consciousnesses long enough to fall across the goal line with the ball. The officials…